Number of Ebola cases in West Africa top 1,300

The number of cases of Ebola in West Africa have topped 1,300, according to figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Health workers at an Ebola clinic in Sierra Leone. Credit: Reuters

Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria were the most affected with 57 new deaths in the past four days.

Sierra Leone president Ernest Bai Koroma has announced a series of emergency measures, to initially last 60 to 90 days.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan said: "The scale of the Ebola outbreak, and the persistent threat it poses, requires WHO and Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to take the response to a new level, and this will require increased resources."